Entertainment Robot America (ERA), a division of Sony Electronics Inc., today announced the release of two upgraded high-speed AIBO„µ Entertainment Robots [models ERS-210A and ERS-220A]. The new robots will come equipped with an advanced central processing unit, dubbed the super core, which will make them quicker and capable of running enhanced software applications and exhibiting greater functionality.

Pre-sale orders for these new robot models will be accepted beginning on July 1 at a dedicated Web site (www.us.aibo.com). They will also be available at select retail locations beginning on July 15. The retail price for the [ERS-210A] model will be about $1,299, while the retail price for the [ERS-220A] model will be about $1,499.

¡§With the super core inside providing a faster CPU, the new 200 series will be able to more quickly respond to and process cues from its environment,¡¨ said Victor Matsuda, ERA¡¦s vice president. ¡§We¡¦re excited about the software possibilities that can be created by this development, which will surely expand the applications for this entertainment platform in the near future.¡¨

Both of the new AIBO robots will feature a significant increase in clock speed to 384MHz, doubling the previous speed of 192MHz. To support the increase in applications for the new robots, a 16MB Memory Stick„µ [ERA-M06] is also going to be made available for about $39.

The introduction of the new super core-enhanced robots follows ERA¡¦s recent announcement of the new OPEN-R SDK, a software development tool set aimed at academic institutions and programming enthusiasts who want to create new functionality for the AIBO platform.